Avon Introduces New 10-Year Warranty

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Avon Introduces New 10-Year Warranty

Avon is offering a new 10-year warranty on their line of inflatable boats. “We’ve had less than 1% return on our former warranty for defects and deterioration of material” states Avon West’s General Manager, Dave Geoffrey, “that’s why we feel confident in extending the warranty to 10 years.”

Avon Introduces New 10-Year Warranty

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The 10-year warranty is against defects and deterioration of the Hypalon / nylon fabric. Air-holding seams will still be warranted for five years, and parts and accessories will still be warranted for one year. The warranty stipulates that conditions are for normal handling and use. For a copy of the warranty and a catalog of Avon Inflatables, write to Avon, 1851 McGaw Ave., Irvine, CA 92714.

Hunter Marine ‘s First Powerboat Cored with Baltek AL-600

The first powerboat from sailboat builder Hunter Marine, the semi-displacement Alura 30 sportfisherman is cored in hull, deck and  deckhouse with Baltek AL-600 balsa. The boat has proven to be popular coast-to coast with offshore fishermen and big water cruisers, according to Dick Ash, Hunter’s national sales manager.

Patterned after the seakindly, fullkeeled New England lobster boats and powered with a single gas or diesel engine, the Alura 30 has been widely accepted as an easy-to-handle offshore 20 knot sport fishing boat with a cruising range of more than 450 miles at 15 knots. At that speed, turning 3100 rpm, its 270 hp Pleasure craft gas engine burns only about seven gallons of gasoline per hour.

The Alura 30 lists under $40,000; and offers berths for six, convertible dinette, galley, enclosed head and good sized fishing cockpit.

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The Alura 30 was Hunter’s first production boat with a cored hull since the company started business in 1972. Hunter has also introduced new 35 and 37-foot sailboats with balsa-core in their hulls and is considering cored hull construction in future models.

Ash said the company chose Baltek’s new pm-coated AL-600 end-grain balsa as the core material for its superior physical and bond strengths and suitability to their manufacturing process and production schedule. Baltek develowd AL-600 especially for high-tech pre-preg and vacuum bag construction techniques, but the new material is also effective in conventional hand layup.

For more information on Hunter boats, contact Dick Ash, Hunter Marine, PO Box 1030, Route 441,Alachua, FL 32615.904-462-4868.

Data on Baltek core materials for power and sailboats is available from Keith Walton, Director of Marine Products, Baltek Corp., P.O. Box 95, Northvale, NJ 07647.201-767-1400.

Tenk Cleaner Kit Works Hard

Boaters Choice has introduced the Right-On Teak Cleaner Kit. The kit contains two high strength solutions that work in combination to clean and restore neglected teak wood surfaces, according to a company spokesman. 

Solution #l is applied for one minute. The wood will turn dark brown. The surface is scrubbed a little and rinsed with water. Solution #l cleans and removes heavy soil, fuel stains, rust, blood and teak oils. Solution #2 is a neutralizer for the heavy-duty properties of #l. It is applied to restore the rich, golden yellow teak color. After cleaning and drying, the teak looks as if it has been freshly sanded.

The liquid cleaners are available in a variety of sizes. The suggested retail price of 2 quarts is $10.75. It is also available in pint and gallon sizes. From Boaters Choice, Inc., P.O. Box 700398, Miami, FL 33170.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

I’m glad I didn’t say if back in the days when I wasn’t one, because now I’m one myself. Call people “stinkpotters” who depend on an internal combustion engine to get from place to place, I mean.

-Carlton Mitchell, “Stamp Out the Stinkpot Syndrome,” Yachting January 1987

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.